mitt romney will campaign here four of the last five days. the president just wrapped up his 17th rally here, more than any other state. >> do not delay, go vote today. what do you think? all right, buckeyes, we need you. >> reporter: why all the attention on ohio? no republican has won the white house without it. romney advisers insist the race has fundamentally changed here since last week. just weeks ago, the campaign briefly considered its path forward without ohio. >> we feel it's going to be close again until the end, but we feel we have an enthusiasm edge working in our favor. >> reporter: consider the electoral map, if romney loses ohio's 18 electoral votes, he needs to win six of the remaining seven swing states. all of which voted for mr. obama four years ago. after being dominated on the airwaves here this summer, ads that painted romney as an out of touch corporate raider, the romney campaign is intensifying its efforts. >> because ohio families can't afford four more years like the last four years. >> reporter: for its part, the